New Ducati, Yamaha fairing designs cleared, jig 'working great'

Caution is 🧸needed when a new fairing appears durღing MotoGP testing, for two main reasons.

The first is that, because it's just a test, the fairing design does not have to be approved for grand prix use by technical director Danny Aldridge. It could simply be a data-g🗹athering experiment.

The second is that⛎ - even if approved, with the intention of being raced - a test fairing might not work as๊ planned and be scrapped.

There are several examples, most notably the Ducati 'hammerhea🐲d', of fairings taken to the track for testing but never seen at a grand prix.

Ducati, Yamaha fairing designs cleared, jig 'working great'

Caution is needed when&n🌠bsp;a new fairing appears during MotoGP testing, for 🧸two main reasons.

The first is that, because it's just a test, the fairing design does not have to be approved for grand prix use by technical director Danny Aldridge. It could 𒀰simply be a data-gatheri🙈ng experiment.

The second is that - even if approved, with the intention of being raced - a test fairing might not work as planned and ꧙be scrapped.

There are several examples, most notably the Ducati 'hammerhead', o🌜f fairings taken to the track for testing but never🍰 seen at a grand prix.

However, in the🐠 case of the new 2019 fairing designs unveiled by Ducati and Yamaha at the recent Sepang test, both have at least been approved by MotoGP technical director Danny Aldridge.

Ducati, Yamaha fairing designs cleared, jig 'working great'

"The new Ducati and Yamaha fairings that you saw in Sepang have been given the 'OK' by me in respect of their actual designs," Danny Aldridge told wuqian0821.com.

However, in a new development for 2019, a special jig or box-style template is now also used to check that each fairing fi🔯ts within a precise range of size criteria.

But in terms of a ꦕMotoGP test, the ꦚjig is just for guidance.

"The Yamaha fairing was also checked in the jig for size [and passed]," Aldridge said. "Regarding the Ducati fairing, they𒉰 borrowed the jig, but I don’t know if it fitted."

Given the Ducati design style has been cleared, if the fairing didn't fit⛦ the jig they would need to make the necessary size alterations by Qatar.

Ducati, Yamaha fairing designs cleared, jig 'working great'

The MotoGP rules ban normal wings but allow downforce devices that are 'integrated' with the fairing (which in practice has come to mean forming a loop) if they a🌳re approved by Aldridge.

The new jig has been introduced to help the manufacturers unders🌜tand the dimensions of what will be al𒀰lowed and has been a big success so far.

"It's w💫orking great, not only for me but also for the manufacturer🧸s to understand what they can do," Aldridge said.

"It fact, all six manufacturers used the cꦦhecking jig at some point in S♒epang."

Suzuki and KTM also tried new fairings in Malaysia but they were simi🅺lar to those already in use by other tౠeams, whereas the six small wings on the Ducati and split-wing design of the Yamaha were a new style of development.

The final MotoGP pre-season test takes place🐭 in Qatar from February 23-25.

Some previous MotoGP fairings used in testing, but never raced:

Ducati, Yamaha fairing designs cleared, jig 'working great'

Ducati hammerhead fairing, Qatar test, 2017.

Ducati, Yamaha fairing designs cleared, jig 'working great'

Honda hammerhead fairing, Sepang test, 2018.

Ducati, Yamaha fairing designs cleared, jig 'working great'
Prototype Yamaha fairing, Brno test, 2018.

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